Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office utilized former President Trump’s defense team’s own arguments in opposing their request to have Judge Juan Merchan recused from the hush-money case amid allegations that Merchan’s daughter benefits financially from her work as a Democratic political consultant.
Trump’s lawyers contended that Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, financially benefits from the case against Trump through her role at Authentic Campaigns, Inc. However, Bragg’s assistant district attorneys argued that there were no new circumstances warranting a reconsideration of the court’s previous denial of the recusal motion.
Despite Trump’s claims that Authentic Campaigns has connections to President Biden and Vice President Harris, Bragg’s office reiterated that such claims do not justify recusal, as previously determined by the court and the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics.
Trump’s defense team alleged that Authentic Campaigns has profited from the case by supporting Trump’s opponents, but Bragg’s team countered by highlighting the speculative nature of these claims and the lack of direct evidence linking the case to financial gains for Authentic.
Furthermore, Trump’s team criticized the court for alleged extrajudicial comments and restrictions on campaign speech, which Bragg’s office dismissed as unfounded attempts to divert attention from the case.
In response to media reports about Merchan’s daughter’s social media activity, Bragg’s team emphasized that such reports did not warrant recusal and that the court’s commitment to impartiality should not be misconstrued as bias.
